TBM Staff - Mumbai
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) successfully conducted runway testing at Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) on Tuesday, July 16. This testing marks the beginning of the Instrumental Landing System (ILS) evaluations at the upcoming airport, which is slated to commence initial operations by March 2025.
The testing, which started on Tuesday and is scheduled to continue until Saturday, involves assessing various aspects of the ILS operations on the runway. The ILS provides pilots with precise landing guidance using two radio beams that offer horizontal and vertical cues. According to a source quoted by PTI, the localiser component ensures lateral alignment with the runway’s centerline, while the glide path component provides vertical altitude guidance.
Before deployment, approximately 20 tests are conducted to confirm the system’s operational readiness. The current tests include evaluating signal accuracy and the reliability of the horizontal and vertical guidance systems to meet safety standards. An airport official confirmed that the calibration testing at the site has been successfully completed.
Navi Mumbai International Airport, being developed by the Adani Group, will be constructed in five phases, ultimately accommodating 90 million passengers annually. The initial phase of the airport will have the capacity to handle 20 million passengers.
